Olivia Belli is a modern classical pianist and composer based in the Italy’s Marche region. Her work as a celebrated performer of repertoire that ranges from Bach and Chopin to Glass and Pärt is complemented by a rich catalogue of instrumental, chamber and orchestral works, created in collaboration with leading international performers and ensembles.
Recent projects include Limina Luminis for Anna Lapwood and the BBC Proms; The Times cited the piece, making innovative use of the organ’s tubular bells, as a one of the late-night programme’s stand out works. Her work featured on Gautier Capuçon’s album Gaia (released in September 2025 on Warner Classics), with the cellist commissioning Tàmâr Mĕtūshelāh – a vital, searching work named for a date palm that sprouted from a 2000-year-old seed, and one that encapsulates the creative wellspring her work finds in the natural world. In 2024 she wrote Sapias for violinist Mari Samuelsen, featured on her album LIFE (Deutsche Grammophon). In 2023 Belli released Intermundia, written for piano and string trio in collaboration with leading members of the Max Richter Ensemble—Louisa Fuller, John Metcalfe, and Chris Worsey.
Daimon, forthcoming in February 2026 on Sony Classical, sees Belli expand into new stylistic territory with its eponymous concerto for piano and string orchestra. Belli performs the solo part herself with the Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin and conductor John Metcalfe. The three-movement work, lasting 23 minutes, draws stylistically on Italian baroque music. It is autobiographical in character, reflecting Belli’s story of creative self-discovery – its title, from Socrates, describes one’s “calling” – by way of departure, journey, and a return.
The album complements this personal journey with one cast on a mythic scale – that of Odysseus. The Ithaca Suite takes episodes from The Odyssey as prompts for its seven movements, with Belli joining a host of distinguished collaborators including Jess Gillam, Eldbjørg Hemsing, the Canea Quartet, and cellist Raphaela Grommes. Her Sonatina for Nausicaa – a 6-minute work for piano – brings the recording to a close.
Her music has reached audiences worldwide with millions of streams and regular features on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, BBC 6 Music, KEXP, and Radio France. Exclusively signed to Sony Music, Belli has built a distinctive discography. Somnio Novo (2022) explores the nocturnal world of dreams, revisiting themes from Sol Novo (2021), which was featured on Scala Radio, Soho Radio, and Classic FM, and included in Apple Music’s Classical Live.
Previous releases include River Path (2020, 1631 Recordings/Decca Records), Where Night Never Comes (2018), and Mater (2020), an ecologically inspired ensemble album created with her husband Enrico Belli for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, with proceeds donated to the Global Wildlife Conservation charity. She also released the EP Sonus Noctis and appeared at the Montréal International Jazz Festival and Ottawa’s Music and Beyond Festival.
Belli was the first female composer invited by Apple Music to curate its Piano Chill playlist and has been featured on the cover of Spotify’s EQUAL: Classical playlist, which highlights female composers shaping today’s classical scene. She is also a member of the Recording Academy.